Rakul Preet Singh, who is gearing up for the release of the upcoming film Mere Husband Ki Biwi, recently opened up about her challenging recovery journey after suffering a severe spine injury in October last year. In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, the actress shared her experience of being bedridden for a month and the mental and physical hurdles she faced while preparing for her return to work.
ICYDK, Rakul sustained the injury while attempting to deadlift 80 kg without a safety belt. The pain intensified over the next few days, ultimately confining her to bed rest for an extended period.
Speaking about the emotional toll of the injury, she said: "So it was a straight two-month break. And post two months, I did start, like, one odd shoot, but a proper shoot. I just shot actually one day in December. And then my entire journey was focused towards actually doing this song because we knew we were heading for the release of the film. So, of course, any injury, I think, sets you back emotionally. But, within the first week, I sort of surrendered, and I said, okay. This is a lesson, and this is a learning for me. And I'm gonna make a spine of steel, and this is my resolution for 2025."
"But, of course, there are days that are that are good. There are days that are bad. And, even while I was progressing towards, attempting to dance, there were triggers that were not very comfortable and, that would make me feel low about if I could do it or not and everyone delaying for me. So you sort of also feel bad for someone who's a workaholic like me. You sort of feel bad that you're letting everyone down, but you're actually not it's not in your hand. But then I am someone who really takes the credibility on myself to be able to push myself and deliver something," she added.
She also spoke about the self-imposed pressure of being a workaholic and feeling guilty about delays, even though the situation was beyond her control.
For Rakul, the biggest challenge was the mental battle that accompanied her recovery. She revealed how her journey started from a point where she could barely stand for a minute.
She said, "The journey was, I think the toughest part was just to sort of mentally, be at it. And I started from when I could barely stand for a minute and I've not really shared this but I could barely get up from the bed. I couldn't sit for even a minute and my rehab began at that point. We were on mid-November and mid-Jan is when I had to shoot the song. So I exactly had eight weeks to be able to do everything."
As part of her rehabilitation, Rakul incorporated aqua therapy into her routine. She credited her choreographers and physiotherapists for their support in helping her ease back into dancing.
"All of December, I was doing a lot of aqua therapy. So thanks to the choreographers. They even gave me the steps beforehand. So the way you'd actually warm up to dancing is that I was doing all the steps in the water, and my physios checked if there were any triggers. And if they're comfortable in water after doing it a hundred times and there are no triggers, then that step is something, or those movements are something and those angles are something that I can do."
When asked if there was a particular moment when she felt ready to get back to work, Rakul admitted that she pushed herself a little earlier than she should have.
"Oh no, there was no particular moment. In fact, I pushed myself a little before. There was an event that I went to. If we go out, it was my first event after about a month. I could barely sit at that point. Again, I'm not someone who shares a lot. But when I took that flight, it was the most difficult experience for me because I couldn't sit through the flight. And I had to stand and go and then there were triggers and I cried. Because you suddenly have this fear of when will I be fine because I'm such a fit person," she shared.
She added that her recovery is still ongoing, with about 10% of healing left, but she remains optimistic about regaining her peak fitness.
She stated, "I think it's been day-by-day recovery. Each day keeps getting better. Of course, now I am much, much, much better. I think I just have about 10% left, but I'm much better. I can do everything. I can work. I can get back to shoot. I'm not my fittest best, but I'll get there."
Rakul also highlighted the psychological impact of back injuries, which are often not discussed openly. She admitted that she still has lingering fears but is taking her recovery one step at a time.
"Back and back trauma is such a severe thing and people don't talk about it. Anytime your body goes through a trauma, your mind is super scared. So even now, I'm super scared to just sit on a low couch. I can't. I'm not still ready for that. So it's still one day at a time keeps getting better," the actress concluded.
